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Diversity of opinions must not generate undemocratic behaviors

According to Vladimir Volkoff, the author of the famous Short History of Disinformation, disinformation is the technique allowing the erroneous general information to be provided to third parties, determining them to commit collective acts or distribute judgements desired by the disinformers.

Disinformation techniques may be present in both business and governance, employed by some groups with the purpose of undermining a competitor’s position.

Recently, the Board of Transparency International Romania has become aware – and it is not a first – of a series of disinformation items emerging in the public area, aimed at provoking false attitudes and opinions addressed to people who are striving to do good in this country.

The diversity of opinions cannot and must not generate extremist and undemocratic behaviour that exceeds the limits of truth and reason as well as the standards of an open society. Transparency International Romania is a non-governmental organisation that for over 18 years has been utterly independent politically, performing their activity at an international and national level in accordance with the principles and values of the Transparency International movement but also with the values all of its members believe in: ethics, responsibility, integrity.

We did not merely criticise, we also focused on building because we have come to conclude it is neither enough nor efficient to be permanently fighting against the system. It is better to try and change it. And, in this respect, we have always preferred to make ourselves visible through action rather than words.

TI-Romania is a partner of national and international institutions in their planning, monitoring and assessment procedures related to anticorruption and public integrity policies. Thus, the organisation has significantly contributed to the National Anticorruption Strategies, has taken part in the monitoring visits within the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, but also in the assessments of GRECO or of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Due to the advocacy activity of the organisation, over 40 public policies and regulations elaborated by TI-Romania have been adopted by the Romanian authorities, among which:

Law no. 571/2004, also known as the Law on whistleblowers

The modification of Art. 132 of Law no. 78/2000 on preventing, discovering and sanctioning of corruption offences; the article is currently the grounds providing solutions for a quarter of the NAD cases

Participation in the establishment and rendering operational certain public institutions with competence in fighting corruption, such as the National Anticorruption Directorate; the National Integrity Agency

The Board of Transparency International Romania obviously and commonsensically rejects the recent attacks against the organisation and its representatives – to be more specific, against the organisation’s Executive Director, Victor Alistar – who is at the same time a member within the Superior Council of Magistracy – while emphasising that Transparency International Romania remains consistent with the values and principles promoted in more than 18 years of activity: professionalism, courage, integrity, independence, democracy.

Integrity is in the end the choice we must make between what is comfortable and what is right.